1.1.5 Biological Debate Flashcards

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1
Q

What do neuroscientists study?

A

The brain and its impact on behaviour and cognitive functions

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2
Q

What has modern technology allowed with regard to neuroscience?

A

Allowed neuroscientists to find out more about the brain

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3
Q

What is the debate surrounding neuroscience?

A

Wether the knowledge it produces is being used ethically

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4
Q

Where did crick and Koch (1998) claim the seat of consciousness was?

A

The claustrum - a sheet of neurons found at the centre of the brain

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5
Q

How does the seat of consciousness work?

A

Like a conductor in an orchestra it combines info from different brain regions

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6
Q

What evidence is there for the claustrum being seat of consciousness?

A

Koubeissi et al 2014 research on 54 year old woman with severe epilepsy

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7
Q

During the brain test what happened?

A

Electrode placed near her claustrum was stimulated causing her to stop responding

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8
Q

What happened when stimulation of the electrode stopped?

A

She regained consciousness with no recollection of the event

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9
Q

What happened when stimulated was repeated?

A

The same thing - she lost consciousness

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10
Q

How could the research into seat of consciousness be beneficial?

A
  • Alternative to anaesthetic
  • Potential treatment for comas
  • further research
  • removing life support
  • diagnosis for locked in patients
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11
Q

How could the research into the seat of consciousness be considered unethical?

A
  • based on 1 woman with abnormal brain function

* doctor pressure forcing people to turn off life support

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12
Q

How might the research into the seat of consciousness save or cost the uk economy?

A

Removing life support for patients you know won’t recover could save the nhs a lot of money

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13
Q

How can neuroscience enhance neurological function?

A

Improve abilities of normal individuals in complex academic tasks

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14
Q

What are TDCS?

A

Trans directional current stimulation

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15
Q

What do TDCS do?

A

Pass small electric current across specific brain regions

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16
Q

What did Kadosh et al find about TDCS?

A

Led to improvement in problem solving, mathematical, language, memory and attention abilities

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17
Q

Where can TDCS kits be bought?

A

£100 online sites such as Amazon

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18
Q

Why might neuroenhancement be considered beneficial?

A

Improve and aid ability of students

People will achieve more and work better

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19
Q

Why might neuroenhancement be considered unethical?

A
  • not everyone can afford it
  • cheating and achieving better than others
  • dishonesty not own abilities
  • feel forced to use it
  • possible effects
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20
Q

What is the cost of depression alone in 2001? (Thomal and Morris)

A

£9.1 billion

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21
Q

What do neuroscientists link mental illness to?

A

Neurological imbalances

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22
Q

What should treatment of mental illness therefore do?

A

aim to correct biological imbalances through drug therapy

23
Q

Why might treating those with mental illness with drug therapy be considered beneficial?

A
  • Helps them function better in society
  • Take part in other forms of therapy once balanced
  • Improved their quality of life
24
Q

Why might treating patients with mental illness with drug therapy be considered unethical?

A
  • people unable to give full informed consent
  • forced treatment of sectioned patients
  • side effects
25
Q

How could research into treatment of mental illness cost or save the uk economy?

A

Costs a lot to administer drugs

Save money - depression alone costed £9.1 billion in 2001

26
Q

What is the role of any criminal justice system?

A

Rehabilitation of offenders to prevent further criminal behaviour

27
Q

Where do some neuroscientists believe criminal behaviour stems from?

A

Abnormal neurotransmitter levels or brain activity

28
Q

If criminal behaviour stems from abnormal brain activity what can be used to treat criminals?

A

Drugs

29
Q

What did cherek et al investigate?

A

Levels of impulsivity and aggression in males with history of conduct disorder and criminal behaviour

30
Q

What happens in chereks investigation?

A

Hale given placebo
Half given SSRI paroxetine
Those receiving paroxetine showed significant decrease in impulsive response and aggression

31
Q

Why might treating criminals with drug therapy be considered beneficial?

A

Prevent further crime making safer society

Improve life of prisoners

32
Q

Why might treating prisoners be unethical?

A

Forces treatment
Feeling they have little choice - prisoners
Side effects

33
Q

How could research into treating criminals save or cost the uk economy?

A

Save criminal justice system money

Costs £40,000 to imprison someone for a year

34
Q

What is neuromarketing? Give an example

A

Using neuroscience in advertising and marketing e.g eye tracking techniques to provide evidence o what catches a persons eye when looking at adverts or shopping

35
Q

When did sands research use neuromarketing and what was the result?

A

Used when devising Volkswagen advert which upped traffic to site by half and led to successful sales year

36
Q

Why might neuromarketing be considered beneficial?

A

Encouraging people to spend improves the economy

37
Q

Why might neuromarketing be considered unethical?

A

Watching people

Encouraging people to spend money they don’t have

38
Q

How might neuromarketing save or cost the U.K. Economy?

A

Encouraging people to spend improves the economy

39
Q

(Criminals) raine designed an enrichment programme based on what?

A

Research into brain dysfunction in criminals

40
Q

(Criminals) who were the sample in Raines research?

A

83 children in Mauritius

355 controls

41
Q

(Criminals) children from the age of 3 were educated in a special facility with a staff child ratio of what?

A

5:1

42
Q

(Criminals) raine the programme focused upon what?

A

Nutrition
Education
Activity

43
Q

(Criminals) raine - assessment at age 17 showed what?

A

Less antisocial behaviour than controls

44
Q

(Criminals) Raine - assessment at age 23 showed less what than controls?

A

Criminal behaviour

45
Q

(Criminals) Raines research suggests crime can be prevented by what?

A

Early intervention

46
Q

(Criminals) how does Raines research challenge free will?

A

Questions the accountability of murderers for their actions

47
Q

(Criminals) measures could be taken to prevent what?

A

Criminal activity

48
Q

(Criminals) there is an ethical issue of neuroscientists intervening with brain surgery on who?

A

Children who haven’t committed a crime yet

49
Q

(Criminals) Fontaine - what is more effective than punishment?

A

Behavioural modification

50
Q

(Alzheimer’s) why is there a growing urgency to understand more about Alzheimer’s?

A

Increasing ageing population

51
Q

(Alzheimer’s) the world wide Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging was set up to do what?

A

Predict and monitor the disease

Sharing data with the rest of the world using PET and MRI scans

52
Q

(Alzheimer’s) the new info could do what?

A

Be used to treat, prevent and slow Alzheimer’s

53
Q

(Alzheimer’s) what economic benefit could the research have?

A

Saving billions on care

54
Q

(Alzheimer’s) the research has to be on conducted on those already having Alzheimer’s raising issues of what?

A

Full informed consent

They have confusion and memory loss